Well, it has been 4 weeks now and I still cannot use my legs. It looks like I will not be participating in any cases for a while. So, Annelie is teaching me her job and introducing me to her contacts, just in case I need to take her place suddenly. I will be working with her for a while until her contacts are used to talking with me. Dawn, Karen and Hawk are working out well with the team and getting along with everyone.

That is an important element for good teamwork. They keep practicing with different weapons and learning different fighting techniques. Dawn has been very good at teaching everyone her style of fighting, which basically is no style, it is just very unpredictable fighting. That can be very good at times, it throws off opponents who are expecting a person to react a certain way, but then they do not.

It is a beautiful day so we are all outside and I am watching the progress of everyone. Then Muffin comes over to me and lays down in the shade beside me. Meow,meow.=Me feeling so very tired. I could hear in her voice that she was. Beryan came over because she saw Muffin suddenly leave the other cats. “Are you okay Muffin?” she asked. “She is overtired,” I said, “I do not like that, she may need to go in for a checkup.”

“I will take her,” said Beryan smiling. “Okay, but take Kat and Crystal with you,” I said. She picked up Muffin and got the girls together and took Muffin to see Bridgette. She has become our vet and is very good with the cats. Storm went along with the girls too. Bridgette called and said she was quite worried about Muffin and asked me to send all the cats in for a checkup.

Sky and two of the girls took the remaining cats to see Bridgette and all remained overnight. That night I woke up suddenly and saw a face staring at me. “Do you remember me Steve?” was all the person said. I sat up quickly saying, “Who are you?” That woke up Sky and she turned the light on. I had my gun out already and Sky grabbed her gun too.

“What is it Steve?” she asked. “Someone was in the room,” I said, and then I pressed a button on the table by my bed. “Red Alert, Intruder, Red Alert, Intruder!”, and the whole house was sealed off. “Rock, Mac, check the library,” I said, “everyone else, check every room!” No one was found however. “Maybe you were just dreaming,” suggested Sky.

“That was no dream,” I said, “someone was kneeling beside the bed and looking at me and the person said, “Do you remember me Steve?” “Was the person male or female?” asked Kat. “I am not really sure,” I said, “it was like the person was there, but not really there. I know that sounds crazy, but it was definitely not a dream.” Kat and Crystal remained in our room the rest of the night.

In the morning we had a meeting in the library. No sign of an intruder had been found. “Perhaps you just need a rest,” said Nelson, “away from everything.” “And that might be what our intruder would like,” said Dawn, “to make Steve an easier target.” “Hmm, not a bad thought,” said Rock. “Um, I am not going crazy here everyone,” I said, “I will even talk with Galyna to prove it.”

“Good,” said Nelson, “Galyna, Steve is your subject for the day.” She chuckled. I did talk with her and she watched me closely all day and her verdict was that I was perfectly fine. The next night was quiet, and that day the cats were allowed to come home. Bridgette thought their food had been tampered with, though she was not quite sure.

“I do not like that,” said Annelie, “that would suggest that an intruder was in here.” “Thanks for believing me finally,” I said. “Sorry Steve,” she said, “but it is not easy for someone to get in this place, it is really a fortress.” She was right, we had made it that way, and it was an old fortress built back in the 1600s. That night I was awakened once again by someone touching my hand.

“Do you remember me Steve?” said the woman. I touched Muffin and she woke up, saw the woman, screamed and shot under the blankets immediately. Sky was awake and turned on the light, looking around. I pressed the button again, Red Alert, Intruder!, and everyone was awake and began looking around. “John, Miles, check the library,” I said.

Sky looked at me, puzzled. We had a meeting again in the morning. “Muffin saw our intruder too,” I said, “it was a woman, asking the same question. Then I thought that maybe someone is trying to find out what we do in an emergency.” “Now that is quite possible,” said Nelson. “Did you recognize the woman Muffin?” asked Dawn.

Meow,meow.=Me not know, just see ghost so I hide. “How do you know it was a ghost?” asked Kat. Meow,meow.=I see through her, not can do that with real human people. “I wonder why she asks, Do you remember me?” asked Karen. I look at her, then at Muffin, she is about to meow, but I shake my head…

To Be Continued.

©2023 Steve McLeod.